Students in all secondary schools are demanding a daily special: one in four secondary school students in the Balearic Islands eats alone

PalmThe Feeding the Future Network called on Wednesday for a guarantee of the right to a healthy lunch for secondary school students in Mallorca, proposing that all schools be required to offer a set lunch menu. Currently, one in four students eats lunch alone, and of the 40 schools, only one has a cafeteria and seven offer a set lunch menu, according to the report. Secondary school cafeterias as lunchtime spaces - Recommendations for transformation into healthy, sustainable and educational spacesThe authors of the study—the Federation of Parents' Associations (FAPA) of Mallorca, the Balearic Islands College of Dietitians-Nutritionists, and the Global Health research group at the University of the Balearic Islands—are calling for the implementation of school cafeterias in secondary schools where the need is identified. According to the study, 92% of students eat at home; one in four eats alone, and 30% of those who eat alone consume pre-cooked meals or sandwiches. Only one secondary school in Mallorca has a school cafeteria, and the six Integrated Primary and Secondary Education Centers (CEIPIESO) and three Secondary Education Institutes (IES) are authorized to allow students to eat at the cafeteria of the school to which they are affiliated. In addition, there are 68 secondary schools with cafeteria service, but only 40% cover lunchtime and most close at 2 pm.

Healthy snacks

The study also highlights that only seven schools offer a daily meal or healthy snack, according to data from the Ministry of Education and Universities. Responses indicate that 27 schools offer the option of a sandwich with water and fruit, but this is not always available at lunchtime. The Network denounces this as an ignored need, because 85% of secondary schools offer some form of after-school training, academic support activities, or extracurricular activities. The analysis reveals that the current offerings in secondary school cafeterias are neither designed nor perceived as a lunch service, meaning that secondary school students lack a healthy, balanced, and sufficient lunch option at school. Nutritional Issue

They warn that transforming secondary school cafeterias to address this shortage "is not just a nutritional issue, but an imperative of social justice and the right to health and education for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status." They also propose facilitating student access to the cafeterias of local primary schools and promoting the financial aid for the daily meal program, currently underutilized, so that it reaches everyone who needs it. According to the study, 85.7% of students are unaware that this aid exists, which was implemented in the 2022-2023 academic year.